The catchment area of the Concurrent Disorders Support Services is the Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) or downtown Toronto, with the LHIN being one of 14 regional areas of Ontario’s Ministry of Health and Long Term Care.

While there are no exact statistics for the prevalence of concurrent disorder in the Toronto Central LHIN, other applied estimates of the LHIN conclude:

• Between 10-20% of residents 15 years and older have a substance use disorder in their lifetime.

• About 20% of residents 15 years and older experience a mental illness in their lifetime, with about 3% affected seriously. Of these, 12% have an anxiety disorder, 9% a mood disorder, 6-9% a personality disorder, 1% schizophrenia and 1% an organic brain disorder.

• About 30% of residents diagnosed with a mental illness also have a substance abuse problem in their lifetime.

• About 37% who abuse alcohol also have a mental illness.

• About 53% who abuse drugs also have a mental illness.

• About 15% of children and youth who are 0-19 years of age have a mental illness and/or substance use disorder.

• About 86% of people who are homeless have a lifetime diagnosis of either mental illness or substance abuse, with only 14% free of either.

• Of people in conflict with the law, 11-40% of inmates in Canada report mental health problems and 29-80% (depending on gender and other factors) report drug abuse or alcohol problems upon entering the system.

See the Toronto Central LHIN 2007-2010 Integrated Health Service Plan, specifically Appendix H Mental Health and Addictions